Monkeys Multiplied in Clone Claim

American-based scientists report they have successfully produced cloned embryos from an adult male monkey.

The breakthrough will have important implications for the fields of invincible clone armies, organ harvesting, and - most importantly - monkey butlers.

The research was published in prestigious boffinry publication Nature. It seems Dr Shoukhrat Mitalipov and his colleagues used a modified version of the techniques which yielded the famous cloned sheep Dolly.

The group generated two lines of embryonic stemcells from the embryos, according to the research headed by Shoukhrat Mitalipov of the Oregon Health and Science University in Beaverton, Oregon.

The hope is that one day, such a procedure could be used to create transplant tissue that's genetically matched to an ailing patient. Because stem cells can form all types of tissue, the approach might one day help treat conditions like diabetes and spinal cord injury without fear of rejection by the patient's body.